Moving through the canopy of a rainforest is a complex task for an ape, particularly a large-bodied one, because gaps between trees (where the supports are thin and compliant) must be crossed. This may involve selection of supports to be used, the sequence in which they will be used, the postures to be used, and so on: in other words, planning sequences of actions in advance. In this talk, I will examine the ways in which apes (both non-human and human) plan their actions in advance, using paradigms involving manual actions on a small, problem-solving scale, as well as choice of supports to access a goal off the ground.